Hitting the Brakes: A History of Automotive Brakes For the Classic Car Restoration Enthusiast AUTO HISTORY Hitting the Brakes: A History of Automotive Brakes By Llewellyn Hedgbeth Starting cars with a hand-crank was never easy and bringing them to a halt wasn't a cake walk, either. Many early cars used simple "spoon" brakes like carriages had: a driver relied on a lever system that moved a block of wood against the wheels. These worked relatively well for speeds of 10-20 mph in sparse traffic. By the late 1890s, though, when the Michelin brothers came out with rubber pneumatic tires, the wood block idea was pretty useless because the wood ground the rubber down pretty badly. In 1898, an enterprising inventor from Cleveland, Elmer Ambrose Sperry, designed an electric car with front-wheel disc brakes, built by the Cleveland Machine Screw Co. With disc brakes, a caliper with brake pads pinches a rotor or disc—like bicycle brakes. The man credited with the invention of the disc brake, however, was English engineer Frederick William Lanchester who patented the idea in 1902.

The biggest problem with his brakes, though, because copper brake pad linings moved against a metal disc, was the horrible screeching noise they made. It took another five years for someone else to cure the noise problem: Herbert Frood, a fellow Brit, lined the pads with long-lasting asbestos. In fact, asbestos continued to be used in car brakes until the 1980s when health and safety concerns eliminated it. Still, the disc brake didn't enjoy much popularity. It wasn't until the 50s that European cars began the wide use of disc brakes. In 1967, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 105 set specific performance tests that led to the widespread introduction of disc brakes on American cars in the early seventies. But we'll leave the disc brakes for now and focus instead on the later-introduced but, initially, more popular drum brakes. Mechanical Drum Brakes The first, or among the first, to wrap a cable around a drum anchored to the vehicle's chassis—the basic idea for drum brakes—was Gottlieb Daimler, in 1899. Wilhelm Maybach, designer of the first Mercedes, utilized rudimentary, mechanical drum brakes in 1901.

These were steel cables wrapped around the drums of the rear wheels and operated by a hand lever. Louis Renault, however, is the man credited with the 1902 invention of the drum brake which would become standard for automobiles. In drum brakes, brake shoes generate friction by rubbing against the inner surface of a brake drum attached to a wheel. There are external-contracting brakes in which the brake band surrounds the drum and internal-expanding drum brakes in which the shoes, supported by a back plate, are forced outward against the drum. In the U.S., one of the first to manufacture drum brakes was the A. H. Raymond Co. of Bridgeport, Connecticut, opened in 1902 as a four-man shop that built brakes, brake linings, and clutch facings. Re-named Royal Equipment Co. by 1904, the company continued to improve brakes, particularly with an asbestos and copper-wire brake lining known as "Raybestos". The claims the Raymond Co. could make were that it had "double acting" brakes—stopping both forward and backward motion and that the driver could now choose to stop suddenly or gradually. In 1902, Ransom E.

Olds of Oldsmobile tested an early external-contracting brake design during a race on Riverside Drive in New York City. The design called for wrapping a flexible stainless steel band around the rear axle drum. The driver depressed the foot pedal mounted on the floor to operate the brake band which gripped the drum. Olds was pitting his car's braking power against that of a tire brake (a pad applied to the tire by means of a long lever) for a four-horse coach and an internal drum, expanding-shoe design for a Victoria horseless carriage. Stopping from a speed of 14 mph, the horse-drawn carriage (which may not really have gone as fast as the cars) stopped in 77.5 feet, the Victoria in 37 feet, and the Olds in 21.5 feet. The results were impressive enough that by 1903 many manufacturers were using the Olds brake design and by 1904 virtually all manufacturers had gone to the external brake on each rear wheel. There were some notable drawbacks with external brakes, though. At times, while on hills, the brake could come unwrapped and give way, sending the car rolling backward.

Drivers could remedy that problem by getting a passenger to jump out and wedge a wooden chock beneath the rear wheel. Also, because the brakes were exposed to the elements, they didn't last long and required frequent replacement. Brakes slipped in wet weather and daily dirt and grime wore them away. Consider how you might like having to have your brakes replaced every couple of hundred miles. It didn't take long for manufacturers to return to internal-expanding drum brakes. Internal brake shoes, under pressure, stayed against the drums, preventing cars atop hills from rolling backward. And because the parts were internal, brakes could last 1,000 miles or more. 4-Wheel Brakes As speeds—and traffic—increased, manufacturers began to look for improvements. One arose in 1915 with the Duesenberg entered in the Elgin Road Race (sponsored by the Elgin Watch Company). With the innovation of applying internal brakes to both front and rear wheels, its driver could reach 80 mph on the straightaway, then brake to a much slower speed to go round the tight curves.

In 1919, the French-made Hispano-Suiza H6B utilized a single foot pedal to operate the coupled four-wheel brakes, a departure from the common requirement that a driver had to apply a separate hand and foot brake simultaneously. At the 1924 New York Auto Show, only Duesenberg and Rickenbacker offered four-wheel brakes. In late 1923, Chalmers offered them as an option priced at $75—and Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, and others fell in line with four-wheel brakes soon thereafter. While competitors that did not offer them made the claim that these brakes were unsafe, they were definitely here to stay. By the 1980s, most cars came with four-wheel drive disc brakes. Hydraulic Brakes Another improvement came about in 1918 when Malcolm Lougheed (later changing his name to Lockheed, of aviation fame) invented a hydraulic braking system. Mechanical brakes, besides requiring drivers to exert significant force on the brake pedal, did not brake all wheels evenly, sometimes leading to loss of control. Using cylinders and tubes, Lockheed sent fluid pressure against brake shoes, pushing them against the drums.

It required much less exertion for the driver to apply these brakes. The hydraulic system was a definite improvement and the avant garde 1921 Model A Duesenberg was the first production car to use four-wheel hydraulic brakes. It was followed by Chalmers cars in late 1923. Walter Chrysler had been brought aboard at Chalmers to improve its financial picture—but the company foundered shortly thereafter nonetheless. In 1924, he was leading Chrysler in its first year and using four-wheel hydraulic brakes that were based on the Lockheed principle but completely redesigned. The original Lockheed brakes leaked badly, in large part because of the use of rawhide cup seals to contain the hydraulic fluid. Because the rawhide dried up and shrank over time, Chrysler replaced them with rubber cup seals. Lockheed appreciated the improvement and OK'd Chrysler to use his design royalty-free—so long as he could also add the improvement to the original patented Lockheed design. The new brake type, known as Chrysler-Lockheed hydraulic brakes, were ones Chrysler utilized from 1924 to 1962.

Automotive engineer Frederick Lanchester inventor of the disc brake Many vehicles still have drum breaks today, over a 100 years after it was first patented 01 November 2010 · James Scoltock As cars have become more powerful, stopping quickly and safely has become an even greater challenge. But the work of one man, Frederick Lanchester, made stopping cars much easier. The serial inventor patented the disc brake more than 100 years ago in 1902, and it was first used in his 12hp Lanchester motor car in 1903. Lanchester is considered a pioneer of early automotive engineering but he wasn’t a natural academic and he took time to gain the skills he put to such good use. Lanchester struggled at school, later admitting: “it seemed that nature was conserving his energy”. But he did well enough to gain a scholarship to study engineering at Imperial College in London. And, while he may have been a slow developer, his passion for engineering grew so strong that he even attended evening classes at a nearby technical school during his degree course. After completing his studies he started work at the Forward Gas Engine Company in 1889.

While there he worked tirelessly on combustion engines in his spare time, before setting up his own workshop in 1893. Lanchester’s first major work was a single-cylinder engine which was used in a powerboat. It was a test for the engineer’s technology but it led the way for him to develop engines for use in automobiles. In 1895 Lanchester developed another engine, and this time it was used in a car. The single-cylinder 4kW combustion engine used a chain drive. But Lanchester was unhappy with the performance and rebuilt the engine into a two-cylinder horizontally opposed version. The engine was the start of the Lanchester Engine Company which he set up with his two brothers, Frank and George, to help him sell his work to the public. The newly developed engine completed a 1,000-mile tour in 1900. Much of the effort that Lanchester put in to develop the powertrain would form the basis for the rest of his work. He retained the mid-mounted design, between the front seat, and the transmission was based on compound epicyclical gearing, giving three forward speeds, which drove the rear axle through a worm gearing.

But it was the braking system that stood out. The transmission included a system that clamped the clutch disc for braking, rather than using a separate system as in most cars of the time. This is what we now recognise as the precursor to modern disc brakes. Lanchester’s braking system may have been the basis of modern technology, but his design wasn’t perfect. The choice of metals 100 years ago was very limited and this forced him to use copper for the braking part that acted on the disc. But, because the roads of the day were very crude and often nothing more than dirt tracks, the copper wasn’t durable enough and would wear out quickly. It was at this point that Lanchester shelved the technology, and it was another 50 years before disc brakes began to be used again – Jaguar, Citroën and Ford all used them from the 1950s onwards. From that point carmakers could see the benefits. Disc brakes, rather than more traditional drum brakes, improved stopping distances and performed better in wet conditions. The technology also had a greater resistance to overheating which diminished the effect of brake fading.

It may have taken time for the technology to be widely used, but now disc brakes are found on nearly every car on European roads. The use of different materials has improved the technology’s effectiveness even on the most powerful of cars. We may take it for granted, but Lanchester’s work is something that all drivers benefit from. tags: Automobile Brakes History Automobile History BRAKES A major test of brake systems took place in 1902 on an unpaved road in New York City called Riverside Drive. Ransom E. Olds had arranged to test a new brake system against the tire brake of a four-horse coach and the internal drum brake of a Victoria horseless carriage. His Oldsmobile sported a single flexible stainless-steel band, wrapped around a drum on the rear axle. When the brake pedal was applied, the band contracted to grip the drum. A vast improvement on brakes was born, one that would pave the way for the systems afterwards. The repercussions of which spread to every facet of the industry, even something like being able to compare car insurance without the advancements in brakes that have taken place.

Olds had entered his car in the Blue Ribbon Contest, a 100-mile race scheduled for August and wanted to be sure his external brake was a match for the Victoria's expanding-shoe internal drum design and the coach's tire brake -- a pad that was applied to the tire by a long lever. Although it ground down solid rubber tires pretty quickly, the tire brake was popular on carriages and many early autos. From a thunderous speed of 14 mph, the Oldsmobile stopped in 21.5 ft., the Victoria in 37 ft. and the horses (which may not have been going 14 mph, but had no engine braking to aid them) in 77.5 ft. The Oldsmobile went on to win two of nine blue ribbons awarded in the race. The car's braking system made such a big impression on other manufacturers that by 1903 most had adopted it. By 1904, practically all car makers were building cars with an external brake on each rear wheel. Almost at once, the external brake demonstrated some serious flaws in everyday use. On hills, for example, the brake unwrapped and gave way after several seconds.

A driver unlucky enough to stall on a grade soon found himself rolling backward. For this reason, chocks were an important piece of on-board equipment. It was a common sight to see a passenger scurrying from inside the car with wood in his hands to block the wheels. There was another drawback to the external brake. It had no protection from dirt so its bands and drums quickly wore. A brake job every 200 to 300 miles was considered normal. The problems associated with the external brake were overcome by the internal brake. As long as the brake shoes were under pressure, they stayed against the drums to keep the car from rolling backward on hills. And, since brake parts were inside drums and protected from dirt, drivers could go over 1,000 miles between brake overhauls. The drum brake, as it is now known, became all-dominant in the United States. In Europe, particularly in Great Britain, it had to share the stage with disc brakes. Disc brakes became more or less standard on European cars during the '50s, about 20 years before they were adopted by American manufacturers in 1973. This is ironic, because the spot-type disc brake is an American invention.

In 1898, Elmer Ambrose Sperry of Cleveland designed an electric car having front-wheel disc brakes. He made a large disc integral with the hub on each wheel. Electromagnets were used to press smaller discs, lined with a friction material, against spots on the rotating disc to bring the wheel to a stop. Springs retracted the spot discs when current was interrupted. Meanwhile in Great Britain, a patent was issued in 1902 to F. W. Lanchester for a nonelectric spot disc braking system that's similar in principle to what we have today. The biggest problem that Lanchester encountered was noise. Metal-to-metal contact between his copper linings and the metal disc caused an intense screech that sent chills through anyone within earshot. The problem was solved in 1907 when Herbert Frood, another Englishman, came up with the idea of lining pads with asbestos. The new material was quickly adopted by car manufacturers on both drum and disc brakes. Asbestos linings also outlasted other friction materials by a wide margin. The 10,000-mile brake job had arrived.

As roads improved and cars began to be driven at high speeds, manufacturers recognized the need for even greater braking power. One solution to the problem became apparent during the Elgin road Race of 1915. A Duesenberg took the flats at 80 mph, then screeched to a virtual crawl to negotiate the hairpin curves. Duesenberg's secret for such magnificent braking power was to simply use an internal brake on each front wheel as well as each rear wheel. In 1918, a young inventor named Malcolm Lougheed (who later changed the spelling of his name to Lockheed) applied hydraulics to braking. He used cylinders and tubes to transmit fluid pressure against brake shoes, pushing the shoes against the drums. In 1921, the first passenger car to be equipped with four-wheel hydraulic brakes appeared -- the Model A Duesenberg. Carmakers as a group were not quick to adopt hydraulics. Ten years after the Model A Duesie, in 1931, only Chrysler, Dodge, Desoto, Plymouth, Auburn, Franklin, Reo, and Graham had hydraulic brakes. All the others still had cable-operated mechanical brakes.

In fact, it was not until 1939 that Ford finally gave in, becoming the last major manufacturer to switch to hydraulic brakes. The basic braking system we have today was pretty much in place by 1921, including a refinement some regard as contemporary -- power assist. Power assist, technically, dates back to 1903 when a car called the Tincher used air brakes. But the first car to be equipped with a vacuum-operated power booster similar to those we have today was the 1928 Pierce-Arrow. It used vacuum from the inlet manifold to reduce the physical effort needed to apply brakes. Vacuum boosters from then to now have similar designs. The first widespread deviation from vacuum power assist came about in 1985. Some '85 GM cars use an electrically driven brake booster, which is smaller and lighter than the conventional vacuum booster, giving an all-hydraulic system. Some cars with antilock brakes also use all-hydraulic systems. The first car to have self-adjusting brakes was the 1925 Cole. The prototype for today's systems appeared on the 1946 Studebaker.

The mechanism by Wagner Electric Co., consisted of an adjusting wedge under the influence of a tension spring. As linings wore, a plug receded to move a pin and lever against the spring. This forced the adjusting wedge against brake shoes, which expanded to keep linings at a preset distance from the drums. As for the antilock (antiskid) units now available in the U.S., they are hardly new. The first practical antiskid braking system, named Maxaret, was developed in 1958 by the Road Research Laboratories in Great Britain and was first applied to the Jensen FF sports sedan in 1966. Three years later, in 1969, the Lincoln Continental Mark III was equipped with an Auto-Linear antilock unit developed by Kelsey-Hayes. Sensors on the rear wheels transmitted signals to a transistorized "computer" behind the glove box. The computer controlled a vacuum-operated valve on the rear brake line to modulate pressure to the rear brakes when the sensors told the computer that the brakes were locking. Cost and some technical problems caused the shelving of this unit.

But now, updated versions that give four-wheel skid control are offered on almost every car model, although initially they were available only on high-end cars like Lincoln and Mercedes, and a few European cars. Computerized brakes notwithstanding, there is a piece of advice about using brakes that's as relevant today as it was in 1909 when it was first published in The American Cyclopedia of the Automobile: "Good driving in traffic is shown by making the minimum use of brakes. The strain on passengers amounts to intense nervousness when the car is constantly driven so that the least alteration of direction or of pace on the part of any vehicle ahead results in the violent application of the brake." And so it will always be. See how your car donation can help the needy! Your donation of any old car will go to charity and possibly get you a tax break! Brake System Evolution: A History History of Brake Systems Brake System Evolution: A History In the 1800's, the first mechanisms to slow a vehicles momentum and prevent motion were tested. Today, over 100 years later, the braking system has evolved into a complex device designed to adapt to different road conditions.

From the early drum brakes to modern day discs, brake system evolution has improved safety and reduced the risk of car crashes across Canada and the globe. With so many forms of brakes that have existed over the century, it is hard to pinpoint the inventor of the original brake system; however, those who designed these systems had a common goal: to make it possible for humans to control a motor vehicle. With the goal of creating safer conditions, innovators over the years have brought new technologies to the braking system, improving upon this original idea. If you or someone you love was involved in an auto accident because of another drivers negligence, you may be eligible to pursue compensation for your losses. The lawyers of Greg Monforton and Partners believe the parties responsible for a persons injuries and suffering should be held accountable for their negligent acts. We passionately defend the rights of accident victims in Windsor and throughout Ontario. Find out how we can help fill out the FREE Case Evaluation form to the right to get started now. Its 100% Confidential. The Development of the Braking System The evolution of brakes has been impressive, and has included many new technologies throughout the years. In all new developments to the brake system, the number one priority is to improve auto safety and efficiency.

Since the earliest automobiles, several methods of braking have been used. As the history of brakes progressed, each new system was built using the concepts used to design its predecessor. Brake system evolution began in the 19th century, and continues today. The types of braking systems that have been used over the years include: Wooden block brakes The earliest brake system applied the physical principles used to design brakes today; however, the system consisted only of wooden blocks and a single lever used by the driver to apply the brake. This form was used on vehicles with steel-rimmed wheels, including horse-drawn vehicles and steam-driven automobiles. Mechanical drum brakes Considered to be the foundation of the modern braking system, the mechanical drum brake was developed in 1902 by French manufacturer Louis Renault, but had been invented earlier by Gottlieb Daimler. Daimler had theorized that anchoring a cable-wrapped drum to the vehicles chassis could be used to stop momentum, thus creating the first concept of the drum brake. Expanding internal shoe brakes Before the expanding internal shoe brake was invented, all brake systems had been fastened outside of the vehicle.

Those systems were vulnerable to the elements, collecting dust and water, and being affected by fluctuations in temperature all of which made the brake less effective. The internal shoe brake was the first to be fixed inside the vehicles frame, an important innovation in the history of braking systems. Hydraulic brakes In 1918, the concept of a four-wheel brake system using hydraulics was first proposed by Malcolm Loughead. The system used fluids to transfer force to the brake shoe when a pedal was pressed. This braking system was adopted in nearly every vehicle by the late 1920's. Disc brakes The disc brake was invented long before becoming popular. William Lanchester patented the disc brake in 1902; the system was not popular until the auto industry began to boom in the mid-20th century. The rise of disc brakes as a popular option is attributed to the increasing weight and speed capabilities of vehicles, which caused hydraulic brakes to become less efficient in distributing heat. The first system to use disc brakes integrated both disc and hydraulic functions and was introduced in the Chrysler Imperial. Anti-lock brakes The anti-lock brake system, better known as ABS, was created to assist previous braking systems to prevent the brakes from locking up while in use.

ABS works by sensing when a lock is about to occur and igniting a system of hydraulic valves to reduce the pressure of a brake on a single wheel. The system revolutionized the way brakes function and is useful in providing more control for the modern driver. Hurt In A Crash? Contact Us Today Brake system evolution has seen interesting advances in technology since the introduction of the wooden block brake. Such innovations have led to an increase in safety on the road and fewer accidents. Unfortunately, brakes can still fail, and car crashes are not always avoidable. When another drivers negligence causes a car accident, the legal team at Greg Monforton and Partners believes that motorist should be held accountable for their actions. If you have been seriously injured or lost a loved one in a motor vehicle collision, you may be eligible for compensation in a personal injury or wrongful death case. We are proud to serve the citizens of Windsor and all of Ontario, and accept clients from the following areas: LaSalle Car History 4U - Brakes Brakes | Print | 10.7 Brakes Car brakes are based on the conversion of kinetic (motion) energy into other forms of energy, usually heat. Other, more recent methods include converting the kinetic energy into electrical and potential energy.

See Part 2, Section 6.1.7 (Brakes) for further information. There are reports of one early car braking system dropping a spike to dig into to the road when a lever was operated. Prior to the introduction of pneumatic rubber tires in 1895 the rims of car wheels were initially made of iron and, from the mid 1800s, either steel rimmed or lined with solid rubber. The first solid rubber tires were manufactured in 1846 and were initially fitted to carriages and steam powered vehicles. On iron or steel rimmed vehicles the driver typically pulled a lever to apply a block of wood to the wheel’s rim. What material was the brake block made of when solid rubber tires were first used? Steel? This type of brake is called a “Shoe Brake”. It was reasonably effective up to 10-20 mph. The 1885 Benz Patent-Motorwagen (featured on this site’s home page) was fitted with solid rubber tires. The upgraded 1887 chassis included a manual leather shoe brake on the rear wheels.

In 1895 the Michelin Brothers, Andre and Edouard (French), produced the first pneumatic car tire, fitting them to a Peugeot “L'Eclair” motor car in the same year. What type of braking system was used? The pneumatic tire however that could not be used with wooden shoe block brakes and a new method of braking was required. The first “external contracting brake” devices attempted to apply force by means of a steel strap or cable directly to the axle, to a drum fitted onto the axle or to the transmission shaft. A method that became known as a contracting “Band Brake” (sometimes referred to as an external drum brake) was employed during the late 1890s and early 1900s. A typically band brake consisted of a flexible metal band that was lined with friction material and wrapped around a drum attached around the car’s rear axle or, in some circumstances to a wheel’s hub. The band tightened around the drum to slow or stop the car when the driver depressed a foot pedal or operated a lever. An early method included the use of a wooden block inside a flexible contracting metal band. Metal bands lined with lead, cotton and camel hair were also tried.

Another early device used strips of leather wrapped around one of the wheel hubs, which would, when a lever was pulled, tighten around the hub to slow the vehicle down. This “wrap-around brake” performed poorly, if at all, when wet. The disadvantages of these early band brake systems were: No protection from the elements and they suffered from a build up of dirt. Excessive wear to both the drum and the band. Maintenance every 200-250 miles (320-400 klm) was not uncommon. The band brake did not operate when the car was in reverse. Why not? Herbert Frood (British) is credited with inventing the first brake lining material in 1897; founding the Ferodo Company in the same year. Frood’s original brake lining material was made from laminated hair and bitumen. On an 1897 Roberts electric car (USA) leather-lined brakes were installed inside the housings of the two 2hp motors. In 1898, Elmer Ambrose Sperry (American) designed an electric car that had electromagnet front-wheel disc brakes.

He fitted a large disc onto the hub of each of the two front wheels and electromagnets pressed smaller discs lined with a friction material against spots on the large rotating discs to stop the car. Springs retracted the spot discs when current was interrupted. How were the brakes applied? A switch connected to a foot or hand brake? In 1899 Gottlieb Daimler (German) wrapped a cable around a drum and anchored it to the chassis. The forward motion of the car tightened the cable, making it easier for the driver to pull the brake lever. It was the first, if basic application, of servo assisted braking. In 1901 Wilhelm Maybach (German) designed the first internal drum brake. Maybach’s brake drum used rollers to press a ring of friction material against the inside of a drum fitted on the rear axle. It was used on the Mercedes Simplex 40hp model (1902-09); the main hand brake acting on the drum brake with a secondary foot brake acting on the chain drive’s intermediate drive shaft. Was it used on other Mercedes models? A water sprinkling system cooled the hot zones of both brake systems when the brakes were applied.

In 1902 Louis Renault (French) designed an internal drum brake that the modern version is based upon. Renault’s drum brake used two curved shoes (pads) fixed to a back plate with each pivoted at one end. The other ends rested on a cam. When the brake pedal was pressed, the cam forced the shoes apart and against the inside of the drum. In 1902 Ransom E. Olds (American) produced an external drum brake by wrapping a stainless steel band around a drum fitted on a car’s rear axle. On 1 December 1902 Frederick Lanchester (British) submitted an application for a patent for non-electric caliper-type automobile spot disc brake system. “This invention relates to an improved form of brake mechanism for power propelled vehicles and refers more particularly to an improved construction of road wheel brake”. Fredrick Lanchester was granted patent GB 190226407 on 15 October 1903. The brake pads were made of copper and the intense noise created by the metal-to-metal contact when the brakes were applied was a major problem. The copper brake pads also wore out much too quickly.

In 1907 Herbert Frood (British) solved the noise problem when he lined the brake pads with asbestos that was woven into a loose fabric and impregnated with high melting point resin and varnish. The new asbestos pads were also more durable and had a much longer life than the copper ones, achieving up to 9,000 miles (15,000 klm). At the turn of the 2oth century roads were very crude and dirty and “internal” drum brakes kept out water and materials that could damage disc brakes. More importantly “internal” drum brakes required drivers to apply less pressure on the pedal compared to the early disc brakes. This was especially relevant prior to the introduction of hydraulic and power brake systems. For a combination of reasons it wasn’t until the late 1940s/early 1950s that car manufacturers started to fit disc brakes. Note 1: When brake pads (“shoes”) press on the outside of the drum the method is sometimes referred to as a “clasp brake”. Note 2: When a drum is pinched between two brake pads it is sometimes referred to as a "pinch drum brake".

Power assisted brakes were first employed in 1903 when air brakes were fitted to a car called the Tincher that was developed by Thomas L Tincher (American). In 1903 four-wheel brakes were fitted to the Dutch Spiker 60/80 HP model. Braking Systems History - autoevolution autoevolution / Home / News / Coverstory In a little over a hundred years since the automobile took hold of people's imagination, technologies designed to make them accelerate faster and reach higher speeds have evolved with a fury the likes of which we can only see in the aeronautics industry. Still, despite chargers, turbochargers, twin turbochargers or NOX, there are limits which cannot be surpassed by a land based vehicle in terms of speed, be it because of technological limitations or the laws of physics. Not the same can be said about the rather unseen part of the automotive evolution: brakes. The only limitations imposed to them are in connection with the human body's ability to withstand rapid decelerations. Otherwise, it would be a lot easier stopping a car than making it go insanely fast.

Whether they come in the form of drum brakes, as was the case in the dawn of the automobile, or as discs, the brakes have been the horsepower's companion throughout the decades, each pulling the evolution of the car in different directions. There are several types of brakes, but our goal here is not to present their features. We will only take you through a slow, slow journey to the beginning of the braking systems. As for who came up with the idea of a braking system, no individual person can be credited for it. As the saying goes, what goes up, must come down, or to paraphrase it, what goes fast, must stop. It was only obvious that whoever made a moving object, devised a stopping system as well. So it's rather a matter of who brought what to the idea, than who actually invented it. The early braking systems to be used in vehicles with steel rimmed wheels consisted of nothing more than a block of wood and a lever system. When he wanted to stop, the driver had to pull the lever located next to him and make the wooden block bear against the wheel. The method proved effective in both horse drawn or steam powered vehicles.

It started becoming obsolete towards the end of the 1890s, when the Michelin brothers began replacing steel rimmed wheels with the rubber tire. The wood block method, needless to say, was useless in conjunction with rubber. Slowly Grinding to a Halt The drum based braking system can be considered the forefather of the modern day brake. A forefather who is still alive, as drum brakes are still in use today. The man largely credited with the development of the modern day drum brake is French manufacturer Louis Renault, in 1902. Still, crude concepts of the drum existed before that. Wilhelm Maybach had used a similar, yet simpler design a year earlier. Even prior to that, in 1899, Gottlieb Daimler came up with the idea to wrap a cable around a drum and anchor it to the vehicles chassis. The forward motion of the car tightened the cable, making it easier for the driver to pull the lever and get the wood block to do its work. What Daimler came up with is called servo assistance and is still in use today, with the required enhancements, obviously. These types of braking systems were all external, a feature which soon turned into a problem.

Dust, heat and even water rendered them less effective. It was time for the internal expanding shoe brake. By placing the shoes inside the drum brake, dust and water were kept out, allowing the braking process to remain effective.Hydraulic Power The end of the mechanically-activated brakes came in 1918, when Malcolm Loughead, one of the founders of what later was to become Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, came up with the idea. Loughead put together a four-wheel hydraulic-brake system for cars. This system used fluids to transfer the force on the pressed pedal to the pistons and then to the brake shoes. The four-wheel hydraulic system was first used on the 1918 Duesenberg and quickly caught on, mostly thanks to the fact that it made braking much easier than in a mechanical system. By late 1920s, this system was fitted on most high-priced vehicles and soon after it expanded to most of the automotive world. The Disc As the vehicles spilled out the assembly plants, they started becoming both faster and heavier. Hydraulic drum based brakes were effective, but they had a tendency to ineffectively distribute heat. This feature made room for the creation of the disc braking system.

Even if it came to be, basically, at around the same time with the drum brake system, the disc had to go a long way before getting a place in the spotlight. First patented in 1902 by William Lanchester, the disc became popular in the 1950s. Using the disc brake in conjunction with Loughead hydraulics, Chrysler became the first manufacturer to implement the system on its vehicles (Imperial). In Europe, the system was adopted by Jaguar (C-Type) and Citroen (DS). Still, the system was dropped for a few years in the US, as it still required some significant effort from the driver to operate it. It was only in 1964 when it made its final comeback, featured on the Studebacker Avanti. This time it succeeded. The difference was made by the development of the power braking system. By assisting the movement of the piston in the master cylinder, the driver no longer had to apply as much pressure to get the car to stop effectively. Stopped The evolution of the brakes themselves has since slowed down. Additional systems though took off.

ABS (Antiblockiersystem), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), brake assist and many other systems have come to help braking become as effective and as safe as it can be. Still, the foundations first set in the early 1900s remain the basis for modern day brakes. Car History 4U - History of Car Parts History of Car Parts | Print | 10.1 Spark Plug The use of an electric spark to ignite a fuel-air mixture was first demonstrated in 1777 by Alessandro Volta (Italian). Jean Lenoir (Belgian, naturalised French) patented what most closely resembles the modern spark plug in 1860. Karl Benz (German) is credited with inventing a spark plug in about 1885. In 1897 Robert Bosch (German) made a significant breakthrough when he adapted a magneto ignition device to a vehicle engine. Patents for spark plugs were granted to Nikola Tesla (American), Richard Simms (British) and Robert Bosch in 1898. In 1902 Robert Bosch's engineer Gottlob Honold (German) invented the first commercially viable high-voltage spark plug.

10.2 Battery 250 BC: The oldest known electrical cells date from this time and were used by the Sumerians, in what is now Iraq, possibly to electroplate objects or for medicinal purposes. They were 1.1volt “jar” cells. Late 1790s: Alessandro Volta (Italian) built a battery of alternating zinc and copper (or silver?) disks arranged in a vertical pile. Between each pair of disks he placed a cardboard disk soaked in a salt solution. The invention was announced in 1800. Note: The word “volt” was named after him. 1802: Dr. William Cruickshank (British) designed the first battery that could be mass-produced. He used a wooden box that had grooves in it to hold the metal plates, filled it with an electrolyte solution and used cement to seal it. In 1859/60, Gaston Plante (French) invented the first battery that could be recharged. It was a lead acid “secondary” cell battery. Note: A primary cell is “non-rechargeable” and a secondary cell is “rechargeable”.

For further historical and general information about batteries see Green Cars, Section 6 (The Battery) . 10.3 Transmission W James (American) invented a basic three-speed transmission in 1832. Levassor and Panhard (French) invented the modern transmission and fitted it to their 1895 Panhard motorcar. 10.4 Carburettor The invention of the carburettor is often attributed to Wilhelm Maybach (German). He designed the carburettor that was fitted to an engine called the “Grandfather Clock” which Gottlieb Daimler produced in 1885. Maybach did not, however submit his patent until a decade later, in 1895. In 1893 Donat Banki and Janos Csonka (Hungarians) were the first to receive a patent for the invention of a carburettor. In 1902 George Schebler (American) patented and manufactured a carburettor called the “Schebler Carburetor”. 10.5 Electric Heater The first electric heater fitted to a car was invented in 1890 by Thomas Ahearn (Canadian).

10.6 Drive Shaft The drive shaft was invented by Louis Renault (French) in 1898. 10.7 Brakes Car brakes are based on the conversion of kinetic (motion) energy into other forms of energy, usually heat. Other, more recent methods include converting the kinetic energy into electrical and potential energy. See Part 2, Section 6.1.7 (Brakes) for further information. There are reports of one early car braking system dropping a spike to dig into to the road when a lever was operated. Prior to the introduction of pneumatic rubber tires in 1895 the rims of car wheels were initially made of iron and, from the mid 1800s, either steel rimmed or lined with solid rubber. The first solid rubber tires were manufactured in 1846 and were initially fitted to carriages and steam powered vehicles. On iron or steel rimmed vehicles the driver typically pulled a lever to apply a block of wood to the wheel’s rim. What material was the brake block made of when solid rubber tires were first used? Steel? This type of brake is called a “Shoe Brake”. It was reasonably effective up to 10-20 mph.

The 1885 Benz Patent-Motorwagen (featured on this site’s home page) was fitted with solid rubber tires. The upgraded 1887 chassis included a manual leather shoe brake on the rear wheels. In 1895 the Michelin Brothers, Andre and Edouard (French), produced the first pneumatic car tire, fitting them to a Peugeot “L'Eclair” motor car in the same year. What type of braking system was used? The pneumatic tire however that could not be used with wooden shoe block brakes and a new method of braking was required. The first “external contracting brake” devices attempted to apply force by means of a steel strap or cable directly to the axle, to a drum fitted onto the axle or to the transmission shaft. A method that became known as a contracting “Band Brake” (sometimes referred to as an external drum brake) was employed during the late 1890s and early 1900s. A typically band brake consisted of a flexible metal band that was lined with friction material and wrapped around a drum attached around the car’s rear axle or, in some circumstances to a wheel’s hub.

The band tightened around the drum to slow or stop the car when the driver depressed a foot pedal or operated a lever. An early method included the use of a wooden block inside a flexible contracting metal band. Metal bands lined with lead, cotton and camel hair were also tried. Another early device used strips of leather wrapped around one of the wheel hubs, which would, when a lever was pulled, tighten around the hub to slow the vehicle down. This “wrap-around brake” performed poorly, if at all, when wet. The disadvantages of these early band brake systems were: No protection from the elements and they suffered from a build up of dirt. Excessive wear to both the drum and the band. Maintenance every 200-250 miles (320-400 klm) was not uncommon. The band brake did not operate when the car was in reverse. Why not? Herbert Frood (British) is credited with inventing the first brake lining material in 1897; founding the Ferodo Company in the same year. Frood’s original brake lining material was made from laminated hair and bitumen.

On an 1897 Roberts electric car (USA) leather-lined brakes were installed inside the housings of the two 2hp motors. In 1898, Elmer Ambrose Sperry (American) designed an electric car that had electromagnet front-wheel disc brakes. He fitted a large disc onto the hub of each of the two front wheels and electromagnets pressed smaller discs lined with a friction material against spots on the large rotating discs to stop the car. Springs retracted the spot discs when current was interrupted. How were the brakes applied? A switch connected to a foot or hand brake? In 1899 Gottlieb Daimler (German) wrapped a cable around a drum and anchored it to the chassis. The forward motion of the car tightened the cable, making it easier for the driver to pull the brake lever. It was the first, if basic application, of servo assisted braking. In 1901 Wilhelm Maybach (German) designed the first internal drum brake. Maybach’s brake drum used rollers to press a ring of friction material against the inside of a drum fitted on the rear axle.

It was used on the Mercedes Simplex 40hp model (1902-09); the main hand brake acting on the drum brake with a secondary foot brake acting on the chain drive’s intermediate drive shaft. Was it used on other Mercedes models? A water sprinkling system cooled the hot zones of both brake systems when the brakes were applied. In 1902 Louis Renault (French) designed an internal drum brake that the modern version is based upon. Renault’s drum brake used two curved shoes (pads) fixed to a back plate with each pivoted at one end. The other ends rested on a cam. When the brake pedal was pressed, the cam forced the shoes apart and against the inside of the drum. In 1902 Ransom E. Olds (American) produced an external drum brake by wrapping a stainless steel band around a drum fitted on a car’s rear axle. On 1 December 1902 Frederick Lanchester (British) submitted an application for a patent for non-electric caliper-type automobile spot disc brake system. “This invention relates to an improved form of brake mechanism for power propelled vehicles and refers more particularly to an improved construction of road wheel brake”.

Fredrick Lanchester was granted patent GB 190226407 on 15 October 1903. The brake pads were made of copper and the intense noise created by the metal-to-metal contact when the brakes were applied was a major problem. The copper brake pads also wore out much too quickly. In 1907 Herbert Frood (British) solved the noise problem when he lined the brake pads with asbestos that was woven into a loose fabric and impregnated with high melting point resin and varnish. The new asbestos pads were also more durable and had a much longer life than the copper ones, achieving up to 9,000 miles (15,000 klm). At the turn of the 2oth century roads were very crude and dirty and “internal” drum brakes kept out water and materials that could damage disc brakes. More importantly “internal” drum brakes required drivers to apply less pressure on the pedal compared to the early disc brakes. This was especially relevant prior to the introduction of hydraulic and power brake systems. For a combination of reasons it wasn’t until the late 1940s/early 1950s that car manufacturers started to fit disc brakes.

Note 1: When brake pads (“shoes”) press on the outside of the drum the method is sometimes referred to as a “clasp brake”. Note 2: When a drum is pinched between two brake pads it is sometimes referred to as a "pinch drum brake". Power assisted brakes were first employed in 1903 when air brakes were fitted to a car called the Tincher that was developed by Thomas L Tincher (American). In 1903 four-wheel brakes were fitted to the Dutch Spiker 60/80 HP model.

Question: Who invented the disc brake in 1902?
Answer: Lanchester